About

Welcome to Postage Due, the blog site dedicated to exploring and explaining the world of the US Postal Worker.

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

While that quote is not the official motto of the USPS, it is a phrase that we have heard in relation to the courier service for years. Since 1775, there has been a collection of people willing to handle the task of carrying messages across the country. That process is, unbeknownst to many, surprisingly large and complicated; from the clerk at the counter to the freight carrier to the letter carrier in cities and on country roads.

In the years since we’ve taken the Oath of Service and put on our Postal Blues, we’ve all heard questions from our customers concerning the Mail and the process of handling it. Since the days of social media, we’ve begun connecting with each other, asking each other questions or simply commiserating. Among these thousands of Facebook and Tumblr postings, a select few banded together with the goal of tackling those questions and topics. From there, the hilarious and sometimes-confusing story of the Postage Due podcast begins.

Joshua Benefield

Our lovable scoundrel from Wichita, Kansas, JoshuaBenefield is a Carrier Technician, or what we call a “T-6”. He started his career as a PSE clerk for 2 1/2 years before moving on to working a route. After nearly 2 years as a City Carrier Assistant (CCA), he’s put 3 years onto his career status. Among the podcasting crew, he is our ‘muse’, helping generate ideas, and following up on those ideas with in-depth research and discussion points. He lives with his wife and 2 children.

Dylan Starr

From Charm City comes the only Clerk on the Crew. With the Postal Service since 2015, Dylan Starr, a 35 year old man-child, has worked as both a Rural Carrier Associate and a PSE Sales Associate. With a background ranging from Blockbuster to Kodak, Uber to XBOX, he brings a technical and creative knowledge to the podcast and stellar customer service to company. Currently in transition to a career status, Dylan is at present the sole associate of a Remote Post Office in the suburbs of Baltimore acting as both Postman and Postmaster. He’s a lover of video games, comics and inline skating. He lives in Maryland with his wife and daughter and their Betta Fish, Bella.

Dustin Shidla

Our podcast Union Man, Dustin Shidla is a City Carrier based out of Lake Charles, Louisiana. He holds the high honor of the most seniority among the crew, having worked for the Post Office for 14 years. As he puts it, he was drawn into the career out of fate, having gone to take the Postal Exam with his then step-father and ending up getting the call instead. When not working or handling his many responsibilities as a Steward, he enjoys his time with his wife, 4 children, and (soon) his first grandchild, cooking splendid meals, or being outdoors on a hunt or fishing.

Jacob Swift

Jacob Swift, the unsuspecting creator of the podcast, is a City Carrier. From construction worker to part-time writer, he’s held a long list of odd jobs before donning the Postal Blues and walking his routes back in 2013. An avid gamer, from console to tabletop RPGs such and D&D, Swift works as an organizer to the podcast, as well as works on the website. He lives in Alexandria, Louisiana with his wife, his daughter and son, five dogs, a cat, and a rabbit (who actually rules over the house, no matter what the cat says).